Michelle Obama Blasts Trump Over Weakening Her Unpopular School Lunch Initiative

By Matthew BalanMay 12th, 2017, 5:43 pm
 

Former First Lady Michelle Obama ripped the Trump administration on Friday over their recent decision to ease up on some of nutritional policies for school lunches that her husband’s administration instituted and that she championed.

“This is where you really have to look at motives, you know,” Mrs. Obama said. “You have to stop and think, why don’t you want our kids to have good food at school? What is wrong with you? And why is that a partisan issue?”

The former first lady got more blunt during her presentation with former White House chef Sam Kass:

“Take me out of the equation––like me, don’t like me. But think about why someone is okay with your kids eating crap. Why would you celebrate that? Why would you sit idly and be okay with that? Because here’s the secret: If someone is doing that, they don’t care about your kid.”

The Washington Post devoted a Friday article to Mrs. Obama’s remarks at the Partnership for a Healthier America summit in Washington, D.C. The newspaper pointed out that she “appeared to take issue with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue’s defense of the school lunch rollbacks, which he justified in part, in his May 1 announcement, by saying many kids didn’t like the foods.”

“That to me is one of the most ridiculous things…’the kids aren’t happy,'” Mrs. Obama asserted. “Well you know what? Kids don’t like math either. What are we gonna do, stop teaching math?”

The unpopularity of the lunch that met these newer standards was such that student photos of their meals went viral on social media, accompanied with the hashtag “#ThanksMichelleObama.” The Post report also summarized criticisms of the Obama-endorsed policy:

Critics said that the former First Lady overstepped her public role by becoming so involved in policy, and frequently panned measures like the school lunch standards as examples of government overreach. Some schools and parents accused the First Lady of making school meals unpalatable for children, while imperiling the finances of cafeterias and increasing food waste.

This isn’t the first time that the former presidential wife has sparred with Republicans over her pet cause. Back in 2014, she targeted congressional attempts to weaken the federal nutrition standards.

Watch above, via MSNBC.

[image via screengrab]

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